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Documentation
October 6, 1999 - Indianapolis

Meeting Date: October 6, 1999; 8:35am
Meeting Place: Westin Hotel, 1999 Annual Convention, Indianapolis

Roll Call:

Staff Members Present: 3

James Gray, Leslee Combs, Frank Giammarino

Guests Present:

Steve Geimann
Mac McKerral
Robert Lystad

Newly-installed president Kyle Niederpruem opened the meeting. Niederpruem asked those regional directors who had not given reports at the October 2nd board meeting to give their reports at this meeting.

Regional Reports

Regional 9 – Jay Evensen. Regional meeting will be held on April 1st in Denver
Deb Early is the contact for the meeting. Wendy Myers will be the national representative attending.

Region 5/7 – Pat McKeand / Robert Leger. Regional meeting will be held on April 8th in St. Louis. Meeting entitled "Change Happens". Al Cross volunteered to be national representative. Leger remarked that his region hopes to help restart a pro chapter in Iowa.

Region 11 – Mark Scarp. Regional meeting will be held on April 1st in Las Vegas at the Orleans Hotel and Casino (559-735-3265). Total Community Coverage is the theme of the meeting and each will have a panel on subjects otherwise overlooked. Janice Butow is the coordinator for this meeting. Scarp reported that a Sacramento chapter may be restarted. Kyle Niederpruem will be the national representative attending.

Region 10 - Oren Campbell. Regional meeting will be held with Region 11 in Las Vegas. Campbell will be focusing on student participation for this regional meeting.

Region 6 – Dave Aiekens. Regional meeting will be held on April 14-15 at the Sheraton Minneapolis Metrodome. This regional meeting is to be held in conjunction with the National Press Photographers Association/Northwest Broadcast News Association (NPPA/NBNA) annual meeting. Kathy Hansen is the contact (she is on the region 6 board). Ray Marcano is the national representative.

Region 2 – Julie Asher. This meeting will be held on April 15th at the University of Maryland. Chris Callahan, Associate Dean of University of Maryland is the local contact. Possibility of having regional meeting with a national writers workshop. Dave Carlson will be the national representative attending.

Region 8 – Todd Gillman. May 13-14 are the dates set for this regional meeting in Austin. Meeting to be held with the Poynter Institute writers workshop. Contact Kathy Walt – Austin Chapter President. Al Cross is the national representative. Post on web with contact for volunteers to work the regional meeting. Moved by Gillman and seconded by Jay Evensen to transfer El Paso to region 6 from region 9. Moved by Al Cross, Seconded by Robert Leger to table the motion. Motion to table passed. Contact Bill McCloskey for verification/change regarding (Article 7, section 2)

Region 4 – Jerry Masek reported for Ginny Frizzi. This regional meeting is scheduled for April 28-29, the weekend after Easter, in Troy, Michigan at the Marriott. Fred Brown is the national representative

Region 3 – Dave Carlson reported. Marcia Biggs of the Tampa Tribune is the new director for region 3. Biggs and Melanie Ave are looking into having a regional meeting in St. Petersburg/Tampa area. The region 3 meeting will be in Murfreesboro this year in a joint meeting with region 12. Kevin Koelling is also helping Lisa Rollins with the meeting. The meeting dates are April 7-9 at the Middle Tennessee State University Mass Communication building. PRSA chapter to assist with regional chapter. Koelling and Rollins are still checking on hotels. Dave Carlson is the national representative.

Region 1 – Irwin Gratz. The meeting dates are scheduled for March 31-April 1. Wendy Myers is the national representative.

President's Comments

Dale Duncan – Kyle’s boss – please send thank you notes to him. He donated staff and had the daily newspapers delivered at no cost, in addition to major sponsorship of the convention.

Election of Executive Committee Members

Nominations for the new executive committee members were as follows:

Robert Leger nominated Ginny Frizzi and Jay Evensen, seconded by David Aeikens. Wendy Myers nominated Irwin Gratz and Robert Leger, seconded by Ray Marcano. Newly elected executive committee members are: Ginny Frizzi and Robert Leger

Dates for the Upcoming Year

— Executive Committee - January 22nd in Columbia, MO at the University of Missouri.
— Finance Committee - March 17 in Washington DC. This meeting to be coupled with a trip to capitol hill on March 16.
— Spring Board Meeting, April 22-23 in Phoenix, AZ
— Executive Committee Meeting - July in Detroit, MI
— Leader retreat – July-August, no date set
— Convention: October 26 – 29 – Columbus, OH

Orientation

Bob Lystad acquainted the board with the legal aspects of participating on a board of directors. Lystad went over items such as the directors and officers liability policy and what it covers, aspects of what a board member can expect. He also discussed particulars of e-mail as an issue of attorney/client confidentiality. He advised board members to be very careful with e-mail and confine these to board members only. If you must e-mail to a large number of addresses, have a confidentiality statement. Watch any e-mails being transmitted over the internet because these may and can be intercepted thus breaking the attorney/client confidentiality.

Executive director, Jim Gray, distributed board member manuals and urged each member to read the material. Gray talked about the important difference between business deadlines and journalism deadlines, noting that missing a business deadline can have major financial implications for SPJ.

Currently, SPJ and SDX are registered as not-for-profit corporations in Illinois, but because of very favorable laws in Indiana, he may seek to move the corporation to Indiana.

Gray asked the board’s cooperation in making certain that requests for staff to work on assignments be cleared through him.

Mentoring Program

Michelle Swafford. E-mail to list-serves (SPL-L and SPJ-C), campus advisors and board members. Michelle asked for suggestions on getting the mentoring project started. As of now, for SPJ members only. 24 mentors, 9 protégé and 2 who want to do both. Myers recommended that the mentoring program be a members only benefit. "Meet me at convention" address. Carlson suggested to start now with what Michelle has and let it build. Membership initiative – News release regarding the mentoring program and membership breakdown payment plan.

Institutional and College/University Dues Proposal

Masek, Carlson, and Gray met regarding the proposal. This proposal would entitle each institute/college/university to have one free institutional entry into the MOE awards. There was a brief discussion about allowing the institutes/colleges/ universities to use the SPJ logo. Gray remarked that it would state "SPJ Member" and is not an endorsement. Myers was concerned about the use of SPJ logo. The use of the logo would only be granted after written consent. Carlson will draft guidelines for use of the SPJ logo. With the proposal allowing free entries, Niederpruem questioned the effect on the MOE revenues. Mac McKerral commented that most major schools that have daily papers do not have chapters. Myers moved to accept the proposed plan with additions and friendly amendments, seconded by Cross. Motion passed.

New Member Category: College Institutional

ANNUAL COSTS:

$350 for daily broadcast outlets and daily newspapers (4-7 days)
$250 for magazines, non-daily student publications and non-daily broadcast
$150 for on-line outlets and weekly publications

BENEFITS:

One Quill subscription
A copy of the ethics code to post in the newsroom
One free copy of various SPJ publications, on issues such as campus crime and internships.
Permission to use the SPJ logo with written guidelines
A plaque presented by an SPJ pro member in a special ceremony or program when possible.
Free entry in the Mark of Excellence awards contest in those categories that represent the media outlet as a whole and/or individual achievement, such as:
Best all-around daily student newspaper.
Best student newspaper 2-4 times per week
Best student weekly newspaper
Best online newspaper
Best student annual magazine
Best student magazine published more than once a year
Best radio daily newscast
Best TV daily newscast
Best TV non-daily newscast.

(one free entry per category)

ACEJMC Report

Steve Geimann reported on the ACEJMC. He recommended that and SPJ representative be appointed for a three-year term as representative to ACEJMC. Nomination from the president/board to ratify. Dave Carlson and/or Oren Campbell can suggest future representatives. Representative to write a report and submit to Quill. Motion by Leger and seconded by McKeand to adopt the proposal Geimann submitted with a friendly amendment to add "preferably a working journalist". Motion passed.

New Business

Moved by Dave Carlson and seconded by Robert Leger to adopt a resolution to thank Larry Riley, Stephanie Berry and Working Press Staff. Motion passed.

Moved by Carlson and seconded by Gillman, on the advice of Carlson’s chapter to make the Jobs for Journalists free for members be recommended to the finance committee. Motion passed.

Carlson suggested to make daily Press Notes a members-only benefit and posting a weekly digest on the website.

Niederpruem presented Myers with her outgoing president’s gift.

Marcano suggested that for the April 2001 board meeting that the board consider taking it to San Juan PR. Will know more by the April board meeting.

Kyle thanked Jay Evensen for being on the executive committee.

Adjournment

Motion to adjourn was moved and seconded. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 11:30AM

ACTION REQUIRED BY BOARD MEMBERS: None
ACTION REQUIRED BY STAFF: Mail draft minutes to board within two weeks
NEXT MEETING: April 2000
DATE SUBMITTED: October 22 1999
SUBMITTED BY: Leslee A. Combs, Executive Assistant
APPROVED: April 29, 2000 by SPJ Board of Directors